WHEREAS, the City Council is dedicated to helping homeless people obtain temporary and ultimately permanent housing; and

WHEREAS, although the one night homeless count showed a 15 percent decrease over the last two years, the 2011 count found 1,753 people sleeping outdoors; and

WHEREAS, in the fall of 2010, the Council requested the City's Human Services Department (HSD) complete an in-depth report that examines how our current city shelter system works and whether it meets the needs of the various homeless populations including among others, working homeless, couples, and victims of domestic violence; and

WHEREAS, HSD will provide this report to the Council on May 18, 2011; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor convened a Citizen's Review Panel to make recommendations on homeless encampments and Seattle's unsheltered homeless population; and

WHEREAS, the panel's final report dated October 18, 2010 included a list of sites to be considered for an encampment; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor's proposed Sunny Jim encampment site was not on the panel's list; and

WHEREAS, the Sunny Jim site poses opportunities but also many challenges including the site is industrially-zoned property that does not permit a longer-term encampment use; and

WHEREAS, permitting a longer-term encampment use on the Sunny Jim site requires amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and land use code; and

WHEREAS, amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and land use code for the Sunny Jim site require that State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review be completed before the Council considers a longer-term encampment on this site, which review is subject to appeal and would take a number of months to complete; and

WHEREAS, the Council believes it may be possible to move forward with greater speed in addressing the needs of unsheltered homeless if alternatives to the Sunny Jim site are considered; NOW THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE THAT:

Section 1. The Council will receive the HSD report on existing City shelter services in late May. On or after July 31, 2011, the Council will review the report and develop a list of alternatives that address shortfalls in City-provided homeless services. The Council's review of each alternative will examine legal and policy constraints, feasibility, and costs. The goal of Council's review will be to recommend one or more options for action. If the recommendations have budgetary implications these will be considered either as part of the review of alternatives or during the Council's 2012 budget deliberations.

Section 2. The Council's review of alternatives will include but are not limited to: (1) renovating Fire Station 39 as a possible long-term shelter or housing facility; (2) working with faith-based communities to support shelter space in church buildings or parking lots, or on City land leased to churches; (3) purchasing another motel similar to the Aloha Inn to provide transitional housing; (4) providing additional rent assistance vouchers; (5) considering an encampment at a location such as those sites reviewed by the Citizen Review Panel that preferably will not require Comprehensive Plan or land use code amendments; and (6) modifying the City's existing shelter service contracts to address any shortcomings identified in the HSD and Council reviews.

Section 3. The Council will hold the proposed land use legislation regarding the Sunny Jim site because the Council cannot approve the legislation until SEPA has been completed. In addition, the Council will review the legislation concerning proceeds from the Sunny Jim insurance settlement and decide whether: (1) the $300,000 required for environmental remediation at the Sunny Jim site should be appropriated in the near future; (2) to allow some of these funds to be used for other one-time homeless service needs; or (3) if all or some of these funds should be reserved for other priority purposes in light of continuing concerns about the City's financial situation in 2011.

Adopted by the City Council the ____ day of ____________________, 2011, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this________ day

of ______________________, 2011.

_________________________________

President ___________of the City Council

Filed by me this ____ day of ________________________, 2011.

____________________________________

City Clerk

(Seal)

TRatzliff Leg Dept. Homeless next steps RES April 15, 2011 Version # 2